Class A North
With just two seniors and many players in new positions, it was going to take some time for Oxford Hills to build some steam this season. The Vikings stumbled through a 3-4 start but rapidly improved toward a strong finish.
Oxford Hills is peaking at the right time, just like it hoped. The Vikings went 8-0-1 to end the season, including a 1-1 tie with top-seeded Messalonskee. The Vikings have outscored opponents 74-25 in the past nine games and put themselves in the tourney conversation.
The undefeated Eagles, led by Gatorade Player of the Year Kirsten Pelletier, is still the team to beat. Messalonskee is a veteran club out to defend its state title. The Eagles defeated Bangor in last year’s regional final. The Rams (11-6) earned the third seed and should be a contender again.
Edward Little started the season 5-0 but went 4-4 in the second half of the year. Still, the fourth-seeded Red Eddies (11-5) can be a threat. EL has to get by Cony (11-5), a team it beat 6-5 in the regular season and then maybe play Messalonskee. EL lost a nail-biter to the Eagles in the semifinals last year, and lost 4-2 this spring.
Lewiston (8-8) is making its first playoff appearance in years and hosts Hampden in a preliminary game Tuesday. The Blue Devils, who went 1-15 last year, had a terrific turnaround this season. Lewiston started the year 6-2 but have lost six straight to finish the regular season, including an 8-4 loss to the Broncos.
Class B South
Oak Hill won nine games last year and still missed the playoffs. With seven starters back, the Raiders weren’t expecting that to happen again. Oak Hill produced one of its best seasons with a 14-2 record and appearance in the Mountain Valley Conference championship game.
Still, the wonderful season only earned Oak Hill the fourth seed in a tough field. York (15-1) lost its opening game to Traip, 16-4, during April vacation. The Wildcats, led by senior pitcher Stephanie Rundlett, have allowed just 26 runs since then.
Oak Hill will have to beat either Cape Elizabeth or Morse in a quarterfinal. The Capers ended the season with four straight losses, but both Cape (10-6) and Fryeburg (11-5) have been teams to watch in Class B South in recent years.
Leavitt (10-6) earned the seventh seed and hosts Lincoln Academy (8-8) in a prelim. The Hornets lost to the Eagles 7-6 in the regular season. Gray-New Gloucester (11-5) won four of its last five but still ended up eighth. The Patriots host Wells (10-6), which beat Gray-NG 18-14 earlier in the year. Mountain Valley finished 9-7 and in 11th. The Falcons face Fryeburg in a prelim. The Raiders won eight of their last nine games.
Class C South
Madison and Telstar were the teams to beat when the season started and that hasn’t changed. The two met in the regional final last year and very likely could have a rematch.
Madison (16-0) earned the top seed and won the MVC title. Telstar (14-2) has a veteran team of its own and beat the Bulldogs in the regional game last year.
The rest of the field hopes to challenge those two favorites but none of them have beaten either this season. Carrabec (11-5) and Hall-Dale (10-6) were competitive among MVC teams and could get a shot at the top seeds.
Lisbon (10-6) and Monmouth (8-8) will have to play road games, but both have the potential to put it together and advance. The Mustangs were injury-plagued for much of the year but have started getting players back. Dirigo (7-9) has a tough task of playing at Sacopee Valley (7-9) in a prelim, just to earn the right to play at Madison. Winthrop (5-11) returns to Monmouth for a prelim. The young Ramblers just lost a close one to the Mustangs last week.
Class D South
The expectation was that Richmond was the favorite again this season and Buckfield and Vinalhaven would be the teams challenging for second. That theory still holds true. The Bobcats finished 15-0 and extended their winning streak to 67 games. The three-time defending state champs are the top seed and are shooting for a sixth straight regional crown.
Who might challenge the Bobcats may likely be determined by Vinalhaven (10-4) and Buckfield (13-3). The Vikings were second followed by the Bucks in third. Those two split during the regular season.
The Vikings get a bye and the Bucks have to host Temple (5-9). Buckfield just beat the Warriors 14-0 during streak of four straight wins to end the season. In another quarterfinal, Greenville (14-2) will host Rangley (6-7). Those two teams didn’t meet during the regular season.
kmills@sunjournal.com
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